GV students hosting Harlem Wizards on Saturday

Great Valley students and teachers will get their chance to shine on Saturday, when the Harlem Wizards take on faculty members in two basketball games at the high school.

The 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. events will benefit Great Valley PTOs, the Great Valley Foundation and the Friends of East Whiteland Fire and Ambulance. The exhibitions are presented by the Desmond Project, a GVHS program that gives students real-world business experience. Led by the committee of seniors Becky Mikus, Alex Krause and Bryan Sharkey, a group of 80 students has chipped in to make it happen.

“This is kind of our way of giving back to the community,” Mikus said. “We want to give back to everyone who has given to us.”

The Desmond Project is overseen by teacher Henry McCloskey, who pitched the idea to the group.

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“One day I saw a contract sitting on the desk, and he said, ‘Go ahead and look through it. We’re gonna’ start thinking about doing this,’” Krause said. “I said, ‘All right, let’s do it.’”

Since then, the student-run class has engaged in multiple facets to make it a success – from planning, to marketing to execution. While the goal to sell 1,600 tickets was ambitious, the most difficult part was getting faculty to lace up the sneakers and take on the Wizards, a Globetrotters-like squad that has won over 2,800 consecutive games.

“I can say it was a lot harder to recruit them than we thought,” Krause said. “The Wizards know what they’re doing, so even if you’re good, it’ll be tough. They’ve only lost like 20 times (since 1962). I told the teachers we need to win, but they’ll go out and have fun. I think the students are excited to see it, too.”

The Desmond Project is for students in 10th grade and above. While natural attrition takes place over time, peer and instructor evaluation decides if a student can move on.

“We went from 30 second-year juniors last year to only 13 third-year seniors this year, so it’s a pretty elite group,” Krause said.

The students have worked in and out of school to produce the best show possible on Saturday.

“It’s the first time we’re doing it, so you have to set the stage for future events,” Sharkey said. “We’ve had a lot of people involved and we want to do the best we can.”

The group has worked hard for itself, but also for its faculty leader, McCloskey.

“We want to make him proud of us and show him that we can do it, because this is the kind of class that if it doesn’t succeed, they can take it away next year,” Mikus said. “You have the pressure that it has to work, and for those of us who’ve worked our way up, you really want it to be the best. You don’t ever want to be the year that’s the last.”

Both of Saturday’s sessions are $10 at the door. Refreshments and souvenirs will be available, and a free autograph session will follow each game.